Barrier which may be used for the protection of harbor installations

ABSTRACT

A barrier, which may be used for the protection of harbor installations, is provided with a tiltable impact member and resilient means is arranged in horizontal and vertical planes in a mounting for the member so that the forces tending to tilt the barrier act in shear on the resilient means.

United States Patent [50] Field of Search 61/46, 48, 54; 114/219, 230; 248/22; 267/139, 140, 141

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,055,182 9/1962 Slemmons 61/48 3,245,646 4/1966 Baratoff 267/141 X 3,338,206 8/1967 Motter 114/219 Primary Examiner-David J. Williamowsky Assistant Examiner-David H. Corbin Attorney-Holcombe, Wetherill & Brisebois ABSTRACT: A barrier, which may be used for the protection of harbor installations, is provided with a tiltable impact member and resilient means is arranged in horizontal and vertical planes in a mounting for the member so that the forces tending to tilt the barrier act in shear on the resilient means.

BARRIER WHICH MAY BE USED FOR THE PROTECTION OF HARBOR INSTALLATIONS This invention relates to a barrier which may be used for the protection of harbor installations, for example, mooring posts and jetty-heads which are liable to be bumped by ships or boats when they are maneuvering to berth or to move into a fairway leading to a dock.

It is known to provide, along quays and jetties in harbors, protection barriers usually made from wood supported by rubber blocks or from sandwiches formed of layers of rubber and metal plates which allow the barriers to move resiliently in the case of an impact when berthing. These blocks or sandwiches are arranged preferably in a V-shape so as to provide a progressively increasing resistance to the displacement of the barriers towards the quay by making the rubber operate in combined shear anti compression. But with this V-shaped arrangement of the sandwiches the barriers only have a slight ability to tilt horizontally and vertically and for this reason they are not ideal for ensuring the best protection of installations such as mooring posts and jetty-heads against which ships or boats may be brought to bear in order to maneuver, in particular during turning.

The present invention provides a protection barrier which may be used for this type of harbor installation and which is able to tilt horizontally and vertically under the action of the force exerted by the hull of the ship. In this manner the barrier is able to remain in contact with the hull over a larger surface area, thereby reducing the effect of wear on both.

According to the present invention there is provided a barrier which may be used for the protection of harbor installations including an impact member, a relatively fixed part for attachment to a harbor installation, an intermediate frame forming a part of an interconnection between the impact member and the relatively fixed part, a resilient insert arranged in a horizontal plane between each of a pair of faces of the intermediate frame and the relatively fixed part, and a resilient insert arranged in a vertical plane between each of a pair of faces of the intermediate frame and the impact member, the inserts being arranged in the horizontal and vertical planes to be acted upon in shear in order to resist respectively the forces tending to tilt the barrier horizontally and vertically.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in partial section of a barrier taken along the line Il of FIG. 2,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the barrier,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view from the front of an intermediate frame,

FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic views in elevation and plan respectively of a mooring post and a barrier and FIG. 6 shows the mooring post contacted by a boat.

Referring to the drawings there is shown a barrier having an impact member 1 of wooden planks fixed on a metal member 1,. The impact member 1 is supported from a relatively fixed part 2 of a harbor installation which may, for example, be a mooring post or a jetty to protect the installation. The part 2 has, as may be seen in the plan view (FIG. 2), a rectangular projecting part 2, which extends within an intermediate metal frame 3, which is in the form of a rectangular member. Two pairs of horizontal sandwiches including inserts 4, and 4 of a resilient material, for example rubber, having a generally flat shape are placed between the upper and lower horizontal faces of the projecting part 2, and the corresponding faces of the horizontal parts of the frame 3.

There are also provided two other pairs of sandwiches including fiat inserts 5, and 5 of a resilient material, for example rubber, placed vertically between the outer vertical faces of the frame 3 and the corresponding inner faces of spaced and parallel brackets 6 fixed integrally with the rear face of the impact member I of the barrier.

A stop 7 having a curved surface and integral with the impact member 1 of the barrier is in direct contact with the end of the projecting part 2, of the harbor installation. Two other brackets 8, fixed on the inner face of the barrier, are arranged along the vertical median plane of the barrier and each carries a thrust-plug 9 opposite the respective upper and lower faces of the horizontal parts of the frame 3.

With the assembly described above, the stresses exerted on the impact member I of the barrier in the direction of arrow F1 (in other words along the horizontal axis x x passing through the stop 7) are transmitted directly to the fixed part 2 by the stop 7. Damping devices not shown may be provided to absorb the stresses on the part 2. When stress is exerted on the member 1 in a horizontal direction where indicated by, for example, one of the arrows F2 or F3 offset with respect to the horizontal axis x x passing through the stop 7, this stress tends to tilt the member 1 in the vertical direction as shown by the dotted lines on FIG. 1. This pivoting of the barrier about the stop 7 is resisted essentially by the sandwiched vertical inserts 5, and 5 operating in shear along the directions of the arrows F1 and F2 between the brackets 6 and the sides of he vertical parts frame 3. The flat shape of the horizontal sandwiched inserts 4,, 4 give them a comparatively large rigidity with respect to the stresses in the directions of the arrows F2 or F3 so that, in practice, they do not operate to allow vertical tilting of the barrier l. The vertical tilting movement of the impact member 1 of the barrier is limited when the plugs 9 come to bear on the frame 3.

On the other hand, when the impact member 1 of the barrier is submitted to forces exerted in the directions of the arrows F4 or F5 FIG. 2 offset horizontally with respect to the axis x x passing through the stop 7, these forces tend to tilt the barrier in the horizontal direction as indicated on FIG. 2 by the dashdot lines. The pivoting of the impact member 1 of the barrier about the stop 7 is therefore resisted more particularly by the horizontal inserts 4, and 4 operating in shear along the arrows F and F between the horizontal part of the frame 3 and the corresponding faces of the fixed part 2. In this case, in fact, the fiat shape of the sandwiched inserts 5,, 5 ensures that, in practice, they do not operate to allow horizontal tilting of the impact member I of the barrier. They only have to transmit the tilting of the impact member I of the barrier to the frame 3. The horizontal tilting movement of the member 1 is limited when the rear of the frame 3 comes to bear on the fixed part 2. Stop plugs could also or alternatively be positioned to dampen the movement at the end of travel.

This system of resilient arrangement and the articulation of the protection barrier may, for example, be used for barriers arranged along fixed harbor installations such as quays and jetties. It is also of particular value for independent installation, such as mooring posts arranged at the entry to channels and fairways leading to harbors and docks, which are formed by a collection of tubular resilient posts liable to yield under the shock or pressure exerted by a ship or boat. FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show a particular use of a barrier.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 a mooring post formed from tubular posts 10 is shown in its normal position. The posts I0 are driven into the sea bed and are connected at their upper parts by two platforms 11 and 12 one of which has a projecting part 2, on which the barrier is mounted. When a ship or boat comes into contact with the impact member 1 of the barrier and when it exerts a force on this barrier, the tubes 10 yield resiliently. If the barrier were to be fixed in a rigid manner the result would be that the contact between a ship and the barrier would only occur along the lower edge of the barrier and this would risk damaging either the one or the other. With the resilient assembly according to the invention the barrier is able to transmit the force exerted by the ship to the tubes, while tilting vertically and remaining in flat contact with the hull of the ship, thereby lessening the risk of damaging the hull and/or the barrier (FIG. 6). Moreover the barrier may tilt vertically when it is contacted by a ship not having a hull with a vertical wall.

The assembly thus allows the impact member of the barrier to tilt horizontally when it is contacted obliquely by a ship or boat or when a ship or boat bears on the barrier in order to effect a pivoting or turning maneuver (FIG. 5).

lclaim:

l. A barrier which may be used for protection of harbor installations, including a normally vertical impact shield member having two spaced brackets rigidly connected thereto, each bracket having a surface facing and parallel to a surface of the other bracket, a part adapted to be fixed to a harbor installation and having two parallel faces, each of the said faces being on an opposite side of the part in a plane which is perpendicular to the said parallel surfaces of the brackets, an intermediate frame forming a portion of an interconnection between the impact shield member and the part adapted to be fixed to a harbor installation, the said intermediate frame having a first pair of parallel faces, each of the first pair of parallel faces facing a respective one of the parallel surfaces of the brackets, and a second pair of parallel faces, each of the second pair of parallel faces facing a respective one of the parallel faces of the part adapted to be fixed to the harbor installation, and flat inserts of resilient material attached to and positioned between each of the first pair of parallel faces of the intermediate frame and the respective one of said surfaces of the brackets and between each of the second pair of parallel faces and the respective one of the said parallel faces of the part fixed to the harbor installation, whereby forces tending to tilt the impact member act upon the inserts in shear.

2. A barrier according to claim 1 wherein the part adapted to be fixed to a harbor installation has a projection, the projection extends into the intermediate frame and has upper and lower horizontal faces constituting the parallel faces of the part adapted to be fixed to the harbor installation, the intermediate frame has horizontal faces constituting said second pair of parallel surfaces which are both corresponding and adjacent to the said horizontal faces of the projection, and one pair of resilient inserts is placed between each of the upper and lower horizontal faces of the projection and a corresponding face of the intermediate frame.

3. A barrier according to claim 1 wherein the frame has a pair of vertical faces constituting said first pair of parallel faces, a pair of brackets, each having a vertical face constituting one of the said parallel facing surfaces which is both corresponding and adjacent to one of the said faces of the frame, extends from the impact member, a pair of resilient inserts is mounted, one between each of the vertical faces of the frame and a corresponding face of a bracket, and the inserts are made of rubber.

4. A barrier according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a stop on the impact member, the stop has a curved surface and the curved surface is arranged to bear on the relatively fixed part whereby the impact member may pivot to tilt vertically or horizontally about the curved surface.

5. In combination, a barrier according to claim 1, a mooring post and a platform, the mooring post being formed from a plurality of flexible tubular posts and the platform connecting the mooring post to the barrier. 

1. A barrier which may be used for protection of harbor installations, including a normally vertical impact shield member having two spaced brackets rigidly connected thereto, each bracket having a surface facing and parallel to a surface of the other bracket, a part adapted to be fixed to a harbor installation and having two parallel faces, each of the said faces being on an opposite side of the part in a plane which is perpendicular to the said parallel surfaces of the brackets, an intermediate frame forming a portion of an interconnection between the impact shield member and the part adapted to be fixed to a harbor installation, the said intermediate frame having a first pair of parallel faces, each of the first pair of parallel faces facing a respective one of the parallel surfaces of the brackets, and a second pair of parallel faces, each of the second pair of parallel faces facing a respective one of the parallel faces of the part adapted to be fixed to the harbor installation, and flat inserts of resilient material attached to and positioned between each of the first pair of parallel faces of the intermediate frame and the respective one of said surfaces of the brackets and between each of the second pair of parallel faces and the respective one of the said parallel faces of the part fixed to the harbor installation, whereby forces tending to tilt the impact member act upon the inserts in shear.
 2. A barrier according to claim 1 wherein the part adapted to be fixed to a harbor installation has a projection, the projection extends into the intermediate frame and has upper and lower horizontal faces constituting the parallel faces of the part adapted to be fixed to the harbor installation, the intermediate frame has horizontal faces constituting said second pair of parallel surfaces which are both corresponding and adjacent to the said horizontal faces of the projection, and one pair of resilient inserts is placed between each of the upper and lower horizontal faces of the projection and a corresponding face of the intermediate frame.
 3. A barrier according to claim 1 wherein the frame has a pair of vertical faces constituting said first pair of parallel faces, a pair of brackets, each having a vertical face constituting one of the said parallel facing surfaces whiCh is both corresponding and adjacent to one of the said faces of the frame, extends from the impact member, a pair of resilient inserts is mounted, one between each of the vertical faces of the frame and a corresponding face of a bracket, and the inserts are made of rubber.
 4. A barrier according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a stop on the impact member, the stop has a curved surface and the curved surface is arranged to bear on the relatively fixed part whereby the impact member may pivot to tilt vertically or horizontally about the curved surface.
 5. In combination, a barrier according to claim 1, a mooring post and a platform, the mooring post being formed from a plurality of flexible tubular posts and the platform connecting the mooring post to the barrier. 